The Five Scarves - Scarves Heist Part 3
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 3 of 3, Part 3 of 5) With the heist over, the Five Scarves follow Spade's advice and return to Jade Creek to lie low. However, they cannot resist investigating the new fortress in the centre of the lake, though when they find out what's inside, they'll wish they hadn't looked…
1. Chapter 1

[After the Kingdom Stone Heist. Location: Jade Creek; Maria, Danny & Xander's house; Outside]

As the sun sets, Hanna, Rob, Maria, Danny, and Xander arrive at the lakeside house. Xander is carrying Maria, who's still suffering from her tumble in Relic Maze.

"Are we home yet?" Maria asks.

"Yes," Xander confirms.

"Good," Maria responds. "I was getting bored of the world going backwards."

Rob looks out over the lake. "How long has that base been in the middle of the lake?" he asks Danny.

"A couple of days," Danny answers. "Why?"

"Not curious about it?"

"Yes, but we've not had a lot of time to check it out, what with the Kingdom Stone Heist."

"Want to check it out tomorrow?"

"After we get the trikes and ATVs from Shang Mu."

"Of course."

* * *

In the den, with a round of drinks served, Maria snuggled under a blanket in the chair, Danny sharing the sofa with Xander, and Hanna and Rob seated on a couple of foldaway chairs, they discuss the Kingdom Stone Heist.

"That mission wasn't as dangerous as I thought it would be," Rob admits.

"Helps we had an army supporting us," Danny reminds.

"Wasn't I hanging upside-down at one point?" Maria asks. "That was pretty dangerous."

"Only because Xander dropped you," Danny corrects.

"I was also attacked by a big orange monster," Maria adds. "Then the world turned fuzzy."

"I'm not _that_ big, am I?" Hanna asks Rob.

Rob shakes his head in amusement.

"Does everything still look fuzzy?" Danny asks Maria.

"A little," she answers. "At least the world's stopped spinning and going backwards. Though it is at an odd angle."

"Well, you are leaning to one side."

Maria shuffles upright. "Ah, that's better. Still fuzzy though."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, the boys rise with the sun in order to recover the group's vehicles from Shang Mu, with Maria waking naturally around mid-morning.

"Ugh, what happened to me yesterday?" she mumbles as she sits up. "My head feels like it's been flung around a pachinko machine… At least the world's not fuzzy anymore." She looks around the room, noticing Hanna is still asleep on a camp bed. "Oh yeah, I remember now." Then she spots a roll of leather strapping she uses for her weapons' hilts. "Hmm…"

* * *

Half an hour later, Hanna wakes to the sound of Maria singing in the den. _Sounds like she's back to her normal self._ Hanna tries to sit up, but finds herself unable to. She raises her head to look down the length of the bed. She's surprised to see someone has strapped her tight to it, blanket included. Allowing her head to drop, Hanna takes as deep a breath as she can.

" _MARIA!_ " she shouts as loud as possible.

Maria's singing halts abruptly. "Morning Hanna!" she calls in her most saccharine tone.

"Do you plan on freeing me anytime soon?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do, and it isn't funny!"

"It is to me!" Maria resumes her singing.

Hanna takes stock of her predicament. _I can't free my arms, but luckily she left my legs free. If I roll over, I might be able to stand._ It takes her several minutes, but eventually Hanna manages to roll onto her front. Pausing a moment to catch her breath, she begins the process of standing up. After a couple of fumbles, Hanna is finally on her feet.

 _OK Maria, payback time._ Taking care to compensate for the light but awkward weight of the camp bed, Hanna pads her way to the den, hoping to catch Maria unawares, but she is unable to stop the camp bed rattling with every step. By the time she reaches the den, Maria is sat on the sofa waiting for her. As soon as she sees Hanna, Maria bursts into uncontrollable laughter.

"You know you won't get away with this," Hanna growls mischievously.

"It's worth it!" Maria cries through the tears of mirth.

"Oh _really_ …"

Hanna dashes as quickly as she is able, heading directly for the sofa. Maria suddenly realises what Hanna's about to do, but it's too late. As she tries to twist out of the way, Hanna dives headfirst onto the sofa, pinning Maria face-down under her.

"No fair!" Maria protests, half-muffled by the sofa cushions. "Get off me!"

"Only if you cut me free," Hanna bargains.

"I promise!"

"Good!" Hanna attempts to shift her weight in order to free Maria, but the camp bed won't move. "Um… problem."

"We're stuck."

"Yeah."

"Oh poo," Maria sighs.

* * *

Mid-day, and Hanna and Maria can both hear engines.

"Sounds like the boys are back," Hanna concludes.

"About time," Maria sighs. "I feel like a pancake."

"Pancakes for lunch? Sounds good."

"That's not what I meant…"

"I know."

The engines get louder as they get closer. A couple of minutes later, they drop to idle, then fall silent. Rob is the first to enter the house, immediately spotting the camp bed on the sofa, a fox tail poking out from underneath.

"Good to see you girls having fun," he chuckles.

"Hey Rob," Hanna responds. "I'm a bit stuck. Can you free me please? Maria's a little… inconvenienced."

"That's because you're a meanie!" Maria protests.

"What's going on in here?" Danny asks as he enters the house, Xander right behind. He then notices the camp bed with the tail poking out. "I guess they're stuck. Should we help them?"

"I think we should leave them like that while we investigate that base in the lake," Rob suggests.

" _No!_ " Hanna and Maria cry in unison. They can't see Rob's cheeky grin, nor can they see Xander approaching to free Hanna from her bonds.


	3. Chapter 3

"Free at last!" Hanna sighs in relief as the camp bed is lifted away. Once it's clear, she rises stiffly, moving to sit in the chair. Maria seizes her opportunity. She leaps off the sofa, over to the chair, and sits in Hanna's lap as heavily as she can.

"You squished me, now I squish you!" she sings.

"How do you guys live with her?" Hanna asks in amusement.

"It isn't easy," Danny sighs, unable to hide a small smile. Maria sticks her tongue out at him.

* * *

After lunch, the group turns their collective attention to the mysterious base in the middle of the lake.

"I don't know if all five of us should go explore," Danny cautions. "The last thing we want to do is trigger any alarms. Two of us can get in and out much easier than five."

"But if we all go, it'll be easier to fight off any guards and robots if we _do_ trigger alarms," Rob advises. "Strength in numbers."

"And you've known me long enough to know I _won't_ stay behind, no matter what you say," Hanna adds.

"And you're not going anywhere without me!" Maria declares, bouncing in Hanna's lap. Hanna responds by wrapping her arms round Maria, pinning her down. "Hey!"

"I'm not a trampoline," Hanna cautions kindly.

"Sorry," Maria replies. "Can you let go of my arms please?"

"Later," Hanna teases.

"Meanie," Maria retorts cheekily.

"Are we going to check out that base, or are we just going to sit here watching those two play about like a couple of children?" Xander asks teasingly.

"Spoilsport," Maria replies, poking her tongue out.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the five friends stand at the edge of the lake, scouting the base through binoculars.

"I don't see any surface-level access," Xander reports.

"And there's no way we can get up to the hangar entrance," Danny adds.

"Looks like we'll have to go in underwater," Rob concludes.

"Pity we don't have any scuba gear," Hanna observes.

"Shouldn't be an issue," Rob assures. "There don't seem to be any water-borne patrols. As long as we avoid searchlights, we'll make it in easily enough."

"Wait, we're _not_ going now?" Maria asks, a little disappointed.

"It'll be a lot easier to sneak in under cover of darkness," Danny advises.

"How will we pass the time?"

"Fancy a duel?" Hanna offers.

"Sure!" Maria sprints back to the house to get her training weapons, Hanna following at a more leisurely pace.


	4. Chapter 4

Early afternoon, and while the girls duel outside, the boys plan the evening's activities.

"We'll need to be as stealthy as possible, so black weapons," Danny suggests.

"Ours are at home," Rob informs. "I can go get them: should be there and back before nightfall. Probably a good idea to bring bathrobes and a change of clothes as well."

"What about cloaks?" Xander asks.

"No, they'd only slow us down," Danny advises.

"But our fur's not exactly coloured for stealth, is it?" Xander counters. "Maria's is the darkest, but it will still be quite visible, even in low light."

"Never stopped us before," Danny reminds. "If you're worried about your fur, just go roll in the mud for a bit."

Xander thinks about it for a moment. "That won't work: it'll just get washed off while swimming."

"Now that's sorted, let's not waste any more time," Rob interrupts. "I'll go get mine and Hanna's weapons now."

"Good idea," Danny agrees.

* * *

Mid-afternoon, and the girls trudge into the house, weary from their duelling.

"Looks like it was quite a battle," Danny remarks, turning off the TV.

"I got beat again," Maria sighs.

"It wasn't _that_ one-sided," Hanna adds. "We did best-of-three, and the final score was two-one."

"Where's Xander?" Maria asks.

"Napping," Danny replies.

"Sounds nice," Maria sighs. "Think I'll do the same."

"Me too actually, if we're going into that base tonight," Hanna adds. "Where's Rob?"

"He went home to get your stealth weapons," Danny informs. "He'll be back in time to join us."

"Is the camp bed back in my room?" Maria asks.

"Actually, I'll use the spare room this time," Hanna declares. "I'd rather not wake up strapped down again."

"Aw, you're no fun," Maria smirks.

"Wake you at sundown?" Danny asks.

"Yeah," Maria yawns as she retires to her room.

"Can you wake me half an hour earlier?" Hanna asks.

"Of course," Danny confirms.

"And can you bring oven mitts and a roll of gaffer tape?" Hanna continues quietly.

"I guess so," Danny replies, thoroughly confused. "Any particular reason?"

"Yes," Hanna grins mischievously.


	5. Chapter 5

Shortly before sundown, Rob returns to the lakeside house. Parking outside, he dismounts his ATV, unslings a small bag, and enters the house, finding Danny and Xander dulling the shine on their weapons. Maria's are on the table, already dulled.

"Are the girls napping?" Rob asks.

"Maria is," Hanna answers, emerging from the kitchen with a hot chocolate topped with marshmallows.

Rob notices she's unable to hide a mischievous smile. "What have you done?" he asks with a knowing sigh.

Hanna makes to answer, but is interrupted by Maria's cry of " _Hanna you big meanie I'm gonna get you for this!_ " as she theatrically storms into the den, oven mitts taped over her hands in such a way as to prevent her removing them. Rob fixes Hanna with a disapproving yet amused look.

Hanna simply smiles and shrugs.

* * *

As the last of the sunlight fades into darkness, the five friends stand on the edge of the lake, attention securely on the base in its centre.

"Ready?" Danny asks the group. They all respond in the affirmative. "OK, let's go."

The group enters the lake and makes directly for the base, diving underwater to avoid the searchlights.

* * *

Maria is first to surface under the base, hiding behind one of the support struts. Breathing deeply, she looks around for her friends, of whom Hanna is next to surface.

"Hello meanie," Maria greets with a cheeky smile.

"The boys… not here yet?" Hanna asks.

"Ah, you're… already here," Rob gasps as he surfaces with Danny and Xander.

"Now to find a way in," Danny suggests between deep breaths. "There should be a hatch or something."

"Like this one?" Maria asks, climbing a short ladder to a square hatch.

"Like that one," Danny confirms.

Maria reaches the hatch and attempts to turn the wheel to open it. "It's stuck!" she squeaks, straining with the effort.

"Let me try," Xander suggests, climbing to help Maria. His efforts to turn the wheel are more successful, and the wheel turns, but the sudden loosening catches Maria by surprise. She loses her footing, plunging back into the water. Spluttering, she resurfaces a moment later.

"Sorry," Xander mutters.

"Little tip," Maria snaps. "Next time you want to help me, _don't!_ "

"Take it easy Maria," Hanna requests. "I'm sure he didn't mean to dump you into the water like that."

"I know," Maria sighs, her anger forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

"Now I remember why I don't like being wet," Hanna grumbles as she climbs through the hatchway to join Xander. "My tail's not fluffy like it should be. It looks ridiculous."

"We have more important things to worry about than tail fluffiness," Rob reminds, following Hanna with Danny right behind him, and Maria last in.

"At last, somewhere warm and dry!" Maria exclaims, dropping to all-fours and shaking herself as dry as she can, spraying everyone else in the process.

"Did you have to do that?" Hanna protests, displeased.

"Did you have to tape oven mitts over my hands?" Maria retorts.

"Can the bickering, you two," Danny interrupts. "As Rob said, we have more important things to worry about. Like what's hidden in this base, and whether we've triggered any alarms already."

"Only one way to find out," Hanna replies as she starts to climb up the inside of the support strut, the others following.

* * *

At the top of the strut, now in the base itself, the group is surprised to find no guards on patrol.

"Who builds a base in the middle of a lake, then leaves it totally unguarded?" Xander asks.

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume it's unguarded," Danny cautions. "We're in the corner of what is quite a large structure. If you have limited forces, you'd focus on guarding the important sections, like the armoury, the hangar, and the power generator."

"And from what I see, we're in none of those places," Rob adds. "Looks more like a storage area of some sort."

Hanna borrows a sai and prises the top off the nearest crate. "Basic maintenance supplies, judging by what's in here," she concludes, returning the sai.

"There's a ventilation grille over there," Maria points out. "Looks like I'll be able to squeeze myself through it, into the ducts."

"Good idea," Danny agrees. "You'll be able to explore the base much quicker, and avoid detection easier."

"I'll go with," Hanna volunteers. "If Maria gets into trouble, I'll be there to bail her out." Maria sticks her tongue out in response.

"Just you two then. No sense in us all getting caught in the ducts," Rob decides. "Plus, Xander won't fit anyway."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Maria and Hanna have penetrated undetected to the heart of the base.

"The vents end here," Maria whispers.

"Looks like there's a room just off to the side," Hanna whispers back, peering through a grille. "We should check it out."

"Meanies first."

Hanna carefully prises the grille free and stows it inside the duct, then checks the room below. Confident the coast is clear, she drops softly into the room, Maria following a moment later. The pair approach the door Hanna spotted, which opens automatically once they're close enough. Instinctively, the girls draw their weapons, relaxing when they see the room beyond is empty.

Sheathing their weapons as they enter the room, the girls lay their eyes on a large glass cylinder in its centre. Inside the cylinder, a few feet from the floor, is an upright slab of metal, fitted with a set of shackles.

Shivers run down both their spines.

"I don't like the look of this place," Maria whispers nervously.

"I know," Hanna whispers back. "Let's get out of-"

A door opens behind the girls; they dive for cover behind a stack of crates. Peering around the edge of their hiding place, they see a couple of strange creatures housed in mechanical battle suits approach a control panel by the wall opposite the door. Hanna and Maria exchange puzzled expressions as the creatures communicate between themselves in an incomprehensible language while they work.

A moment later, a hidden machine begins to hum and whine, the whine steadily rising in pitch. Five seconds later, an intense electrical discharge passes through the glass cylinder, directly over the metal slab.

Maria squeaks in terror.

The creatures begin to turn.

Hanna swiftly pulls them both fully into cover, clamping her hand over Maria's mouth to silence her. Hanna's heartbeat accelerates as the fear of being discovered grips her; she can feel Maria's heart pounding at an incredible rate as well.

They can both hear the creatures getting closer.


	7. Chapter 7

++Intruders in sector 7. Intruders in sector 7.++

The creatures halt their advance. Hanna and Maria hold their breath, not sure what to do. A moment later, after a brief and incomprehensible exchange, the creatures turn and exit the room. Once the door shuts, Hanna lets Maria go, both breathing a massive sigh of relief.

"Sorry," Maria sighs.

"Don't worry about it," Hanna assures. "Let's just get out of here."

"That's the best idea I've ever heard."

Drawing her ninjato, Maria slowly approaches the door. Hanna follows, nunchaku in hand. The door opens. Maria and Hanna freeze as they see the two creatures are standing guard. The creatures begin to turn. Maria leaps into action, slicing clean through the middle of one of the creatures with an upswing, cleaving the other in two on the downswing.

"Nice work," Hanna compliments, following Maria through the door.

"Thanks!" Maria chirps. "Just one small problem: how are we going to get back up to the vent?"

Hanna looks up to see the vent they dropped through is too high to reach. "There must be another way out," she theorises, shivering as an idea occurs. "And I think I know where it is…"

"Where?" Maria asks, shivering when she too realises what Hanna is talking about. "No."

"We don't have much choice."

" _No._ "

"Then stay and be captured."

Maria thinks for a moment. "OK," she relents.

Hanna leads Maria back into the torture chamber, making straight for the control panel. Unsure what the incomprehensible markings mean, she hovers over numerous buttons before finally selecting one. Her choice proves fortuitous: the glass cylinder rises into the ceiling. Her second choice is less successful: alarms begin to sound throughout the base.

" _What are you doing?_ " Maria cries in panic.

" _Trying to get us out of here!_ " Hanna yells back.

" _You're not very good at it!_ "

" _None of the markings make sense!_ "

After several panicked button presses, Hanna finally finds the right one: a hatch opens under the metal slab.

" _Got it!_ " Maria cries triumphantly. " _Let's go!_ "

Hanna turns to see Maria already disappearing through the hatch, following without hesitation.

Their ride through the disposal chute is brief. Before long, the girls find themselves ejected under the base, plummeting straight into the water with just enough time to twist into a dive. Maria is the first to resurface, Hanna following a second later.

"There you are!" Danny cries, diving out of the hatch the group entered the base in, Rob and Xander following him a moment later. "What did you find?"

"A torture and execution chamber!" Maria splutters.

"Whoever built this base," Hanna gasps, "we don't wanna mess with them!"

"What happened with you guys?" Maria asks.

"I was spotted," Xander admits.

"It was your own fault for walking straight into that guard," Rob adds.

"We can play the blame game later," Danny snaps. "Right now, we need to flee!"

Maria and Xander immediately set off directly for home.

"Not that way!" Danny, Rob, and Hanna shout in unison.

"Why not?" Xander asks.

"Do you really want whoever built this place to know where we _live_?" Danny explains. "This way!"

Maria and Xander turn back. Danny then leads the group to a different part of the lake shore.


	8. Chapter 8

The five friends waste no time in scrambling for cover as they emerge from the lake. Hidden among the vegetation, Xander is posted as a lookout.

"Anyone follow us?" Rob asks.

"I don't see anyone," Xander answers, "so I think no."

"We should stay hidden for a while, just in case," Danny suggests. "Who triggered the alarm anyway?"

"That was my fault," Hanna explains apologetically. "We were spotted by a couple of… _things_ … They spoke a strange language I've never heard before. Thankfully, Maria took them out before they could call reinforcements. Then, when looking for a quick escape, I… pressed the wrong button."

"Surely the buttons were labelled?" Rob asks.

"Not in any language I know," Hanna explains. "It looked… no, that's stupid."

"What's stupid?"

"The writing looked… _alien_."

"Hmm…"

* * *

After half an hour, the group finally returns to the house, confident they weren't followed to the lake shore. Hanna and Rob share the chair, with Maria, Danny, and Xander sharing the sofa. All five are dressed in bathrobes, wet clothes hung up to dry overnight.

"This last week has had far too many coincidences for my liking," Rob thinks aloud. "First, a spaceship crash-lands in the Snowfields, the same day the King of Shuigang is murdered. The next day, we find ourselves involved in a mission to steal the Kingdom Stone for Shang Mu, a mission no‑one would ever have thought would actually happen. And that base appears here in Jade Creek, a base that is guarded by seemingly alien creatures using a language never seen or heard before on Avalice. Am I the only one who thinks something's going on we don't know about?"

"Put that way…" Danny thinks for a moment. "I can see what you're getting at. But I cannot fathom why a spaceship would crash‑land, and its captain go to Shuigang to kill the King."

"That's what I said three days ago," Hanna interjects.

"We know," Rob assures.

"Why would a spaceship captain build a base in the lake?" Maria asks suddenly. "And why would he put a nasty torture device in it?"

"How do we know the base was built by the spaceship captain guy though?" Xander contests.

"Who else would have done so?" Maria argues.

No-one has an answer.


End file.
